Black Veil
by GodivaGoddess33
Summary: Mivi's beloved husband, Rod, has passed away. Neil and Allen help her pick up the pieces to cope with her loss, but will she find love again...with one of them? Rated M for graphic/disturbing content, sexual content, and coarse language. OCxRod OCxAllen OCxNeil ***Story In Progress!***
1. Ch01 - Boxes

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 1***

It had been two months since her husband, Rod, passed away.

His death wasn't a noble one by any means; it was just a freak accident on his snowboarding trip with the guys. He'd hit a rock that was hidden beneath the snow, and from there, it was a series of bad coincidences…those two trees had been _right there_ , and so close together…and he was going so fast…and how—just _how_ —did his body happen to be so perfectly aligned in the shadow of death?

But what was worse—or maybe it was actually better—was that Mivi wasn't even there with him when it happened. She wasn't even on that trip. She was just home, innocently tending her farm, blissfully ignorant, chuckling as her derpy cow licked its nose…as Rod's head slammed into the tree gap…as his body flung about his trapped neck…

 _Why him? Why me?_

She remembered being alerted that her phone was ringing from inside the house— _their_ house—and how miraculous it was that she even heard it from so far away. She supposed human instincts were just that way, because she didn't hesitate to run to it when she normally would have brushed it off and continued working.

"…Mivi?"

"Allen…?"

"Mivi? Oh, god…"

"Allen, what's the matter? Are you all right?"

"It's Rod…he's badly hurt…he's not moving…"

"Wh-what? What do you mean?!"

"There's been an accident…Neil's calling for help, but— _Christ_ —he's _not_ moving!"

Mivi wondered if this memory would ever go away; she'd been tormented by it for what felt like ages. She currently sat slumped at her kitchen table across from where her loving husband used to sit, and she didn't even notice the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Had it not been for the incessant pounding on her door, she might have stayed there all day.

Grudgingly, she dragged herself up and to the door to open it, only to see Neil and Allen—two faces who had become exponentially more familiar these past couple of months—anxiously awaiting her.

"God, I've been knocking for like five minutes already!" Neil bellowed.

"Neil!" Allen sharply reprimanded him, "Don't be so rude!"

"Tsch well it's rude to keep us waiting; she knew we were gonna be here!"

Allen slapped him on the back of his head. "Shut up, you insensitive prick!"

Neil veered around, practically snarling at him, when Mivi snapped out of her daze and stopped him.

"No, no, he's right; I'm sorry to keep you both waiting. Please come in."

Neil pinched his eyes closed and seethed out a sharp sigh as he stepped inside. Allen followed behind him, looking pissed. Mivi guided them to where a couple of boxes were resting in the right wing of the house.

"These are his things," she stated sadly.

"That's it?" Neil asked. Allen's eyes narrowed at him.

Mivi nodded, then stiffened in mild alarm. "Oh, but his cart—with all his shop stuff—is behind the eastern barn. I just realized I hadn't gone through it yet, I'm sorry…" Before Neil could interject with his frustration, she added, "But don't worry; I'm quite sure I don't need any of that."

"And you're sure you're ready to part with all of this?" Allen asked.

"Yes, it's fine…after all, I know you'll need it to help get Neil up and running with…well, you know…taking over his shop…"

"…Well, I mean to say, are you keeping any memorabilia?" Allen shifted uncomfortably.

"Well I—I don't really see any point in holding onto…his clothes or anything…but I mean, I am keeping his dog and his horse…"

"Uuuhh, I kinda need the horse to haul the cart…" Neil started, but then corrected himself after receiving another nasty look from Allen, "but I can bring the horse back later…?"

"Oh—right, how silly of me. Um…no, don't worry about bringing the horse back; I have enough trouble looking after all of my animals as it is. And well, actually Neil, I may need to talk with you about possibly giving some of my animals back."

"What?! No way, you don't need to do that!" Neil almost shouted.

"But Rod…" Mivi's gaze and voice fell a little at saying his name aloud, "he used to help me with all of them. It's a two-person job, running this farm."

"Yeah, but you've been doing just fine handling not only them, but also all of the pets he left behind!"

"Jesus, Neil!" Allen exclaimed.

"But it's been so hard, and besides, you've been helping me!" Mivi surprised herself with this small burst of anger she was feeling. Couldn't Neil just go along with her wishes?

"Look, I'm already taking all of the damn cats and dogs; I don't have time for you to just not love your animals anymore!"

"It's not that simple, you jerk!"

Both Neil's and Allen's eyes widened in shock. Mivi was usually so gentle and kind that she would never resort to name-calling. Neil really did push her too far.

Quickly, Mivi's piercing green glare softened as tears flooded down her face and sobs shook her body.

"Now look what you've done!" Allen shouted at Neil.

"Let's just get this shit and go," Neil muttered, grabbing a box and storming out.

"Mivi, I apologize for that oaf. Here, have a tissue; you're quite a mess at the moment." Allen handed her one. "Shall I make you a cappuccino? I do love those."

"No thank you, Allen; I think I just want to be alone right now."

"Alright, suit yourself. Neil and I will get to work on that shop so that soon he'll be so busy he won't be able to bother you anymore!" He lifted the other box and headed out the door. "Ta ta!"

Once the door was shut, Mivi shuffled over to her bed to lie down, exhausted from the encounter. On her nightstand, she saw a picture from the day she and Rod got married and felt her heart pinch.

 _My god…is this pain ever going to go away?_

***End of Chapter 1***

 **Author's Notes:** I did really enjoy crafting the dynamic between Allen and Neil, as I imagine they would not get along particularly well. Staying true to Neil's tsundere character type made me cringe a little, but it will be an interesting challenge for me!


	2. Ch02 - Moving On

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 2***

Upon waking, Mivi realized the sun was already going down.

"Crap!" she uttered aloud, ripping back the sheets and stomping toward the door to put her boots on. She hadn't meant to sleep for six hours.

She marched out the door and put her fingers to her lips, about to whistle, when she noticed she didn't see any of her animals outside. She panicked for a moment before remembering that Neil had probably already put her animals away for the evening.

 _Oh, I really don't want to deal with him right now…_

But she had a responsibility to check on all of them anyway, in case Neil had any questions for her.

Sucking in a breath to placate her nerves, she walked over to the nearest barn and peeked inside. She heard soft murmuring and discovered Neil was brushing and talking to one of her cows.

"That's a good girl, feels nice, huh?" The cow uninterestedly continued chewing grass from the manger. "You've had such a long, hard day of sunbathing and eating juicy grass, haven't you?" Neil smiled at his own joke. "Yeah, it sure is tough being a cow…and I bet…you miss your mom, huh?" His smile faltered a little. "But don't worry; she still loves you. She just misses your daddy a lot, ya know?" He stopped brushing for a moment. "I—I miss him, too…"

Mivi clutched at her heart. She was touched by Neil's sentiment, but mostly she was reliving memories of her late husband. Tears billowed their way out of her eyes yet again, and she had to turn and walk away. She decided upon the eastern barn as her place of retreat. Rounding the corner, she saw the blank spot where Rod's cart used to be and stopped still, sobs catching in her chest. At that moment, a slender, black dog came trotting around to where she stood, and she immediately bent down to cry into his fur.

"Oh, Jet," she sobbed, "why did he have to go? He was such a good man." The dog whined sympathetically. "He was so sweet, and so good to me…I just can't believe he's gone."

She cried a little more until she felt like she could stand again, and she brushed herself off before walking into the barn. A few of the sheep and alpacas bleated a soft welcome. She couldn't help but smile at them.

Glancing at their empty mangers, she knew Neil must not have gotten to this barn yet, so she filled them and occasionally giggled at the teasing nips she received at her pockets.

"Sorry, loves, I don't have any treats tonight."

BoPoof, her biggest llama, made a loud "bleh" sound at her as though to scold her, and she busted out laughing in spite of herself. She had forgotten how much she loved her silly animals. Maybe Neil was right about her needing to keep them.

Just then, the door clicked open, and said person walked in, pausing when he noticed Mivi.

"Oh, I thought you weren't gonna be here."

Mivi resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how horribly he tended to phrase things sometimes. "Well, work is work, you know. It doesn't stop just because I want it to."

"True."

He sauntered over to one of the sheep and began brushing. Mivi noticed he wasn't going as slowly and smoothly as he was with the cow. She walked over to the same sheep with her own brush, figuring she could encourage him to be a little gentler if he had her own pace to compare himself to.

"What are you doing? I'm already working on this one."

"I know, but if we work together, it'll go faster."

"…So why don't you work on a different one?"

"Well if we work on the same one instead of separating them all out, it just works better, you know?" She realized how ridiculous she sounded, but she knew that invading Neil's personal space was a good way to get him to talk.

"Fine. Whatever," he grunted.

The pair finished that sheep quickly and moved on to the next one. This time, Neil subconsciously slowed down his brushing in time with Mivi's. His eyes darted to her frequently, and she pretended not to notice. She was so close to getting what she wanted, but she had to play it cool.

"Listen…Mivi?"

"Yeah?" she asked, not looking at him.

"Look…I'm…sorry…about earlier…"

"Oh." She acted surprised. "Well thank you, Neil."

"It's just…I wanna get the pet shop going really soon since it's spring, and I've been trying to figure out how to manage all of this…"

"Well…is it too much for you?"

"What? No, no, it's not that! I mean, it _is_ stressful, because it's business, but I _want_ to do it…for him, ya know? I just wanna make sure I do it right."

"Rod…was a good friend to you, wasn't he?" Neil looked at her slowly and nearly squirmed, as if he realized he shouldn't be talking about such things. "It's okay to talk about him…I think I'm all cried out for the day," Mivi smiled bleakly.

"Uh…well yeah, sure, we were friends. We both like animals… _liked_ …shit…" Neil face-palmed.

"I'm sorry to pry. I know it must be difficult to know what to say to me, his widow…but really it's okay. I have to face this, and one way to do that is to talk about him."

"Well, um…hey, look, ya know, if taking care of this many animals is too much for you, I _can_ take some of them off your hands…if you need me to…"

Mivi sighed in slight frustration and conceded to his change of subject. "No, that won't be necessary. As it turns out, I love these guys too much to part with them, and I think they'll help me heal."

"O-kay, well good, then."

The two of them worked in silence the rest of the evening as they finished brushing the animals. Mivi then helped Neil load up his cart with the dogs and cats she'd been keeping for the pet shop and sent him off. That was officially the last of Rod's things to go. Despite that, Mivi felt a small weight had been lifted off herself. Perhaps it was because Neil had apologized, and perhaps it was because she would be on her own from then on. But somehow, she felt that now her healing would truly begin as she moved on with her life.

***End of Chapter 2***

 **Author's Notes:** It was difficult to write this scene, because I didn't want Neil to appear too open and easy to talk to. After all, he's a complex character, so I want to make sure I respect the appropriate amount of time and dialogue it would take to break through to him. But anyway, stay tuned; the next chapter focuses on Spring Harmony Day! How will the town's bachelors treat our widow?


	3. Ch03 - Spring Harmony Day

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 3***

Spring Harmony Day.

What a way to shake Mivi's emotional balance after she had finally gotten into a groove with her farm work. She had only been able to celebrate this holiday with Rod twice as a married couple, but it was a wonderful, budding tradition that they would go to Chez Clement's at lunchtime for a specialty dessert. Mivi wasn't sure what she was going to do today; she was missing Rod terribly and wasn't sure she could face anyone. She resigned herself to staying on the farm for the day.

Her morning chores were all done by noon despite her attempts to drag them out longer. She sighed wistfully and with frustration before entering her house for a sad, reheated lunch. The morning's newspaper was still sitting on the table from when she'd brought it in earlier, so she scanned the front page for a distraction. She made it about halfway through the third page when she heard a knock on the door.

 _Ugh, really? Who would bother me on a day like this?_

Allen was at the door with a positively flamboyant bouquet of flowers and a small, white parcel tied with a hot pink, satin ribbon. "Well hello, my dear Mivi—oh good god, what is going on with your hair?!"

"Haven't washed it yet," she stated simply. Normally, she would've laughed at how, well— _flamboyant_ —he himself seemed, but she couldn't be less interested if he were a loose paint chip on a beige wall.

"Ehem," he cleared his throat, "well anyway, I knew you might be a bit down in the dumps today, so I figured I'd grace you with my presence to cheer you up! Here you go, dear; these are for you." He handed her the flowers. "And this— _marvelous_ —creation," he elaborated, handing the box forward, "is none other than yours truly's famous strawberry shortcake!"

"Oh…well thank you, Allen; this is so sweet," Mivi responded, accepting the gifts.

"So…?" Allen said impatiently. Mivi just looked at him blankly. "…May I come in? I thought we could share." He smiled, and for some reason, it made Mivi's stomach sick.

"Oh…Allen, I do appreciate this, but…"

"Oh, come now," he insisted, trying not to appear irritated as he pushed his way in. He sighed and placed his hands on Mivi's shoulders. "You _need_ this. Come on, let's just sit and enjoy this delicious dessert together!"

"Alright," she reluctantly agreed. She wasn't sure she had the energy to handle company, but she definitely didn't have enough to fight him. So she sat, absentmindedly taking occasional bites of the shortcake, pretending to be enamored with the flavor—although she really wasn't a fan of how sweet it was—and nodding along with Allen as he endlessly chattered about the success of his salon and his ambitions to create new hairdos that he especially wanted to try on Mivi.

She didn't think it was possible, but she was actually relieved when the door knocked a second time. She practically leapt out of her chair to answer it.

"Sanjay?"

The good-natured, exotic servant smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Ms. Mivi. How have you been today?"

"Well, to be honest, today's been a bit hard on me." She felt but chose to ignore Allen's obvious irritation at that statement.

Sanjay nodded sadly in understanding. "The master and I thought that may be the case, so we wanted to bring you a little something as an offer of condolence." He presented a short, coffee-colored, gold-adorned glass pot to her.

"Wow, what is this?" Mivi asked, gently cradling the pot in her hands.

"It is a homemade chocolate mousse, with a bit of espresso to cut the sweetness. We remembered you didn't like anything too terribly sweet."

Mivi's heart would have melted if Allen hadn't sharply cut in, "Nonsense! She's loved the strawberry shortcake I made for her!"

Sanjay appeared startled upon noticing Allen, but his manners quickly replaced his warm smile. "Oh, hello, Mr. Allen. It is good to see you."

"Sanjay, won't you please come in?" Mivi begged. "I would love to try this mousse, and I think some mint tea would be a perfect accommodation for it." She threw that last bit in to entice him since she knew he loved mint tea.

"Ah, well…" he hesitated, but then caught the desperation in Mivi's eyes, "of course I will. I would be happy to join you both!"

"But Mivi," Allen said suddenly, appearing quite miffed, "weren't you a bit weary of too much company today?"

Mivi couldn't believe his rudeness, but she countered, "At first, perhaps, but after having such a lovely visit with you, I think I've warmed up to the idea! I think some good company is just what I need today." She forced a convincing smile and enjoyed how it tortured Allen internally to decide which was more important: his pettiness or his narcissism.

Sanjay came in, and the three of them talked for about an hour before he politely excused himself to tend to the palace. Allen practically swept him out before turning as if to come back inside. Mivi stopped him abruptly.

"Well look at the time! I have got to take care of some errands before my evening chores. But it's been great talking with you both. Thanks again."

Allen appeared somewhat defeated before shrugging and saying, "And thank you for your hospitality, Mivi. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

Mivi retreated inside her house for a brief while to clean up the dishes and shower, giving plenty of time for Allen to have left her property. Whining to herself the whole time, she changed into fresh clothes and convinced herself to at least make one appearance somewhere, so that she wouldn't get caught in her lie.

She could hardly bear the thought of more sweets, but ultimately she found herself at Chez Clement's, the only place that felt anywhere near comfortable. Shuffling over to the bakery counter, she glanced over the confectionaries, looking for one that would be most like a Saltine cracker.

"Mivi!" Felicity screeched. "It's so good to see you out and about today—not that that's weird—oh no, not weird at all!"

"Hey, Felicity!" Mivi half-heartedly beamed. She did truly love Felicity as a friend, but her exhaustion from earlier warned against her exuberance.

Unfortunately, Felicity caught on to the lack of energy. "Oh no, honey, are you sick?"

"Tsch, sick _of someone_ …"

"Uh oh…come on, spill!"

"Mivi!" a suddenly appearing Clement bellowed. "Oh my dear, I am so glad you stopped by today! Not that that's strange or anything…"

Mivi laughed. "Could you two _be_ any more obvious?" Their frightened faces amused her. "I know, I didn't really think I was going to make it here today, either, but certain circumstances changed my mind."

"Regardless, I am still glad you're here. I actually made you a little something that I was going to drop off later, but I can go ahead and give it to you now. Just give me a moment." Clement disappeared to the back.

Felicity ravenously whispered to Mivi, "So who's bothering you?"

"Ugh, it's Allen. He stopped by to give me Spring Harmony gifts, but I think he intended to spend the whole day with me. I never thought I was going to be able to make him leave!"

"Oh boy, he sure can be persistent, can't he?"

"Indeed," Mivi agreed. "I wish he'd get a girlfriend or something to keep him busy."

Felicity chuckled, then gave an evil grin, "Or maybe a _boyfriend_?"

Mivi giggled. "Right? Oh you should've seen how he looked holding those neon flowers and that little gift box with the pink bow…"

"Haha, that would've been a sight to see!"

Just then, Clement reappeared with a plain to-go box. "Here you are, Mivi. This is a little special something I just came up with: a peach tart with a vanilla-almond glaze. It has the perfect balance of sweet and sour with just a touch of savoriness in the crust."

"Chef, you are too kind," Mivi said. "I hope you don't mind if I wait to eat it later? I am quite stuffed at the moment…"

"Not a problem," Clement waved his hands in front of him. "Tarts keep very well, so that little beauty will be ready whenever you are." He smiled, then became serious. "And I understand this day is probably quite tough for you, but please know that at the very least, Felicity and I are here for you."

"Absolutely!" Felicity chimed in. "Consider this place your own safe-haven for whenever you don't want to be alone."

"Thank you both," Mivi replied sincerely. "That does mean a lot. And honestly, I am feeling better lately, for the most part. It's just days like today…" They both nodded in understanding. "Anyway, I'd better be getting to my evening chores, but thanks again!"

They waved goodbye as she left, and she began her evening work, whistling for the dogs—except for Rod's, who was too fat to be useful herding animals. She got lost in thought, reflecting on the kindness she'd received thus far.

As she finished up with the first barn, she noticed Dunhill coming down the road.

"Hello there!" he shouted with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Dunhill! How are you?"

"Good," he said as he caught up to her. "Has your day been all right?"

"Yeah, as good as it could've gone, I suppose."

Dunhill grunted in agreement. "Well anyway, I didn't want to bother you too long, but I brought you a little something in honor of Spring Harmony Day."

"Well thank you, sir."

"You are quite welcome! I just wanted to make sure you knew everyone in this town is here for you."

"Of course! Actually, a few others gave me gifts today as well. We really do have some good souls around here."

"What?" Dunhill looked surprised. "Someone else got here before I did?"

"Oh yeah, there was Allen, Sanjay, Clement…"

"Well dag-nabbit! Back in my prime, I used to be the first one at every lovely lady's door!" he boasted proudly.

Mivi chuckled, "And I'm sure they were just as delighted to see you as I am now!"

"Aw, you're too sweet, Mivi. Well listen, if ya ever need anythin', don't hesitate to ask! For now, though, I best be gettin' off to bed."

"Okay then. Have a good evening, sir!"

"You, too!"

Although he was an oddball, she was certainly grateful for Dunhill keeping his visit short. She eyed the Ziploc bag he gave her with four pink, heart-shaped sugar cookies that were clearly store-bought. She knew he must've saved the rest for himself, but considering how many sweets she'd already had, she was grateful for that, too.

***End of Chapter 3***

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter ended up being a little longer than the first two, but I wanted to keep Spring Harmony Day in one section. This holiday gave me a good chance to introduce Allen's aggressiveness, which will continue to be a problem. Realistically, I didn't see a reason to bring Neil in for this since his character doesn't really seem like the type to give a gift to someone he's not especially close to.


	4. Ch04 - Don't Drink the Wine

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 4***

A week later, Mivi was checking on the batch of cologne she'd brewed for Allen's birthday the next day. Gently wafting some toward her nose, she was quite proud of the dry, clean, and almost beachy scent she'd been able to craft; she knew he'd like it. After bottling it up, she was surprised to find herself bored with a desire to seek amusement in town.

She wandered about the shops aimlessly, pondering whether to drop in to some or just simply meander along the streets. The aromas from Chez Clement were eventually enough to make up her mind for her.

"Felicity!" she called as she entered the restaurant.

"Hey, Mivi!" she responded, trotting over gleefully. "How are you?"

Mivi's stomach growled. "Hungry, apparently," she laughed.

Felicity giggled. "You must be smelling our latest creation: Fish Stew Flamé! The chef and I combined some of our favorite things and came up with a tilapia and mushroom stew topped with melted cheese, and it is de-lish!"

Mivi was practically drooling. "Can I get some of that?"

"Haha, oh absolutely! Chef will be so excited that you'll be the first customer to try it!"

Felicity came back a few moments later with one bowl for Mivi and one for herself, and the two chatted amicably for a time, brainstorming potential new recipes. They were stopped suddenly when the door opened, causing the small bell inside to chime. They both deflated a little when they realized it was Allen.

"Well hello, ladies!" he practically sang. "How convenient that both of you are here to save me a little walk; I have some great news!"

"Oh, yeah? What's up?" Felicity asked flatly. Mivi bit her lip to hold back a chuckle.

"Tomorrow is my birthday, and I've decided to throw a lovely get-together in the plaza that evening at eight o'clock."

"That sounds nice," Mivi offered.

"Yes, it certainly will be. There'll be music, dancing, and quite a bit of wine. The attire is semi-formal, so everyone will be looking their best! No slacking, you two," he teased, pointing at them. "Anyway, I expect to see you both there, haha, as _if_ there were anything better to do!"

Felicity was about to protest when Mivi cut her off, "Sure, I suppose you're right. We'll see you then!"

Allen's eyes flashed in excitement, and he grinned devilishly at Mivi. "Very good, then; see you soon." He spun on a heel and was out the door.

Felicity waited maybe two moments before turning to Mivi and saying in a mocking tone, "The attire is semi-formal, so no slacking, you two!"

"Right? My god, I guess I'd better shove a stick up my ass to make sure my back is straight!"

They both erupted in laughter for a while, and after they calmed down, the frill-clad waitress asked, "And seriously, what is with the way he was looking at you? He looked like he wanted to eat you."

"Ugh, I don't know," Mivi shook her head. "I'm starting to worry that he has a crush on me…"

"But, like, it is _waaaay_ too soon…isn't it?"

"Yeah, no, you're right. I don't feel ready to— _move on_ —just yet. Besides, doesn't he have any respect for Rod? They were best friends. Isn't there some kind of 'bro code' about 'Thou shalt not move in on thy bro's wife'?"

"I thought so…yeesh, what did Rod even see in Allen anyway?"

"I've often wondered that myself. It seemed Allen picked on him a lot, but Rod was just too nice. And I dunno, maybe he felt obligated to stay friends since they shared a childhood together?"

"That's stupid." Mivi startled at her harsh response. "Well, it is," Felicity insisted.

"Yeah, but people are…complicated. As much as I sometimes wished those two never knew each other, I knew I didn't have a right to tell Rod not to hang out with him."

"True…but I don't like it. I mean, look at how Allen repays him now."

Mivi nodded wearily. "I know."

"And…despite seeing it this way, you still want to go to Allen's party tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I've already made him a present…and besides, there's gonna be wine…"

"Huh…good point." Although alcohol wasn't illegal in Echo Village, it may as well have been a dry town. "So what'd you make him?"

"Cologne."

"Good…'cause his personality stinks!"

Mivi cherished Felicity for how much she could make her laugh, especially lately when laughter was so dearly needed. And better yet, she loved how she could talk about Rod with her like it was normal. Everyone else brought an air of sadness about him simply because they thought they needed to, but by this point, Mivi was tired of always having to be sad about him. She definitely still missed him, but she didn't want anyone to be afraid of talking about him anymore. She sometimes felt like she was trying to shield a candle from a hurricane. Felicity was the shelter where the gentle flame of Rod's goodness could rest in peace.

She savored one last moment in her sanctuary, about to leave, when Neil came in.

"Welcome to Chez Clement!" Felicity chimed.

"Hey. Hey, Mivi," he nodded to her.

"Do you know what you'd like to order, or would you like me to get you a menu?"

"I already know what I want: curry rice, please."

"Coming right up!"

Felicity collected her and Mivi's bowls from earlier and went to the back. Neil walked over to Mivi.

"Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Of course," she smiled at him. She was actually glad he was there so they could talk a little; she still felt things might be tense between them and was ready to clear the air.

"So…are your animals okay?"

"Yeah, they're doing pretty well."

"Good…and you…you're okay?"

Mivi wasn't sure why, but the question made her feel a bit of heat in her face. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better lately."

"Good…"

"…Well how has the pet shop been going?"

"Oh, uh, it's fine…dogs and cats just require a lot more attention than livestock."

"Do you…need help?"

"No, no, I've got it. And why the heck would you even offer? You don't have time."

"Well maybe not me, but…hmm…how about Tina? She's got a lot of energy."

"Ick, no way! She doesn't know the first thing about taking care of animals!"

"Okay, so you've got it, then." Mivi desperately searched for another topic. "You going to Allen's party tomorrow?"

"Nah, not interested," Neil huffed.

"Why not? You know there's gonna be wine, right?"

"Yeah, you know what else is gonna be there? Dancing. And Allen wants me to dance with the Witch Princess."

"Karly?" Mivi couldn't imagine a more sorely-matched pair. "Oh boy, Allen is not a good matchmaker."

"Seriously…and do you know what he had the nerve to tell me? He said we'd be perfect together, because we're both emo brats who hate the world."

Mivi couldn't help but let out a laugh at that. "That man, I swear…you know, on Spring Harmony Day, he showed up at my doorstep with flowers and shortcake—I don't even like shortcake—and insisted that I needed his company for hours. I was sad that day; I didn't wanna be bothered!"

"Spring…Harmony Day? Why would he…oh… _oh_ shit, was I supposed to get you something?!" Neil panicked.

"What? Oh gosh, no, Neil! No, you weren't supposed to get me anything! Some people just kinda did, ya know?"

"Other people got you stuff, too?"

"Well yeah, I mean, Sanjay and Clement did…oh and Dunhill, too…"

"Oh, god…shit, Mivi, I'm sorry; I just didn't even think of something like that…"

"Neil, really, it's okay," Mivi urged, wondering how this conversation turned so wrong so fast. "It wasn't expected at all."

"I know, I just…it would've been a nice thing to do."

"Look, Neil. I appreciate that you think that, but please just forget about it. You don't need to beat yourself up about it…okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

"Just um, well, picture how silly Allen looked, standing all straight and tall at my doorstep, holding those neon flowers and a little white box tied in pink ribbon…I mean, come on, you couldn't really imagine yourself doing that, could you?"

A tiny smile graced his lips. "Yeah…I guess not."

"Besides that, because Allen visited me and I was trying to get rid of him, I ended up taking on even more company that day when all I really wanted was some peace and quiet. So really, you ended up giving me the best gift of all."

"I wouldn't go that far," he argued.

"But you get my point? Just be yourself, Neil. Sometimes that's all I really need."

Eventually, Felicity reemerged from the back with a steaming plate of rice and joined the two. She teased Neil about going to the party and then about his date with his "soulmate" after Mivi filled her in. Although he prickled at their banter, he didn't truly seem irritated, nor did he threaten to walk out. If anything, he took it about as good-naturedly as a guy like him could. The three even got to talking about Rod for a while, and Mivi started to see that perhaps Neil was a part of her sanctuary, too. She felt so at home with him and Felicity, both, that she nearly lost track of time before remembering her evening chores. She and Felicity set a time to meet up the next evening to get ready for Allen's party, and she found herself wishing Neil was going with them, too.

The party did roll around quickly enough, and without Neil in tow, the two girls sauntered off to the plaza. They marveled at the lights strung out up above like a miniature star canopy before scoping out what they were really looking for: the wine bar.

"Booze!" Felicity gasped, pretending to be awestruck. Without hesitation, they strode over for their first glass.

Olivia, who was wearing a sleek, black, asymmetrical cocktail dress with fringe, greeted them, "Hello, ladies! White, red, or rosé?"

"Whichever has the fullest bottle…and just give me the bottle!" Felicity joked.

Once they'd received their glasses, they scuttled, giggling, over to Allen to say hello.

"Ah, look who made it! I am so glad to see you!" Allen said in between exchanging European-style cheek kisses with them.

"Happy birthday, Allen!" Felicity said as she handed over a small to-go box with an apricot-cheese Danish.

"Thank you, Felicity! I'm sure this tastes wonderful."

"And here's my gift to you, too; happy birthday!" Mivi gave him a small, dark blue bag with white tissue paper.

He delicately removed the tissue and plucked the little brown bottle out of the bag.

"Mivi…what is this?"

"It's homemade cologne with bergamot, juniper, and sandalwood notes."

"Really?" He uncorked it and smelled the cap. "Wow, this smells amazing! You made this?"

"Yep, sure did!" It wouldn't have mattered if she were giving it to a chimp; she was proud of her creation.

"Mivi, I can't thank you enough," Allen emphasized, closing the bottle and setting it and the bag on the table next to him.

"Oh, you're welcome!" Mivi beamed, then abruptly stiffened as she felt him grab one of her hands with both of his own.

"Really…I love it," he breathed huskily, his blue eyes piercing her with an almost hungry expression.

Felicity's jaw dropped, and there was an awkward silence as Mivi was held transfixed by his gaze. Something about the carnal need residing there—coupled with the skin-on-skin contact—shocked her every nerve into paralysis.

Finally, her friend rescued her, snatching her up by the arm and dragging her away. "Oh, we'd better go make sure we say hi to everybody!" she excused, "Happy birthday…again!"

"What a creep!" she harshly whispered once they were a safe distance away.

"Y-yeah…" Mivi agreed.

"Here," Felicity coaxed, pushing Mivi's glass closer to her face, "drink up."

And indeed she did. She drank until every other sentence was a giggle. She drank until she wanted to dance with everyone. She drank until she remembered the painful loss of her husband, until she slurred her speech, until her thoughts mushed together, until her skin was numb, until the world was an absolute blur. Somehow, she drank enough that when Allen asked her to dance, she didn't hesitate to latch onto his well-manicured hand. She didn't know when the swing dance turned into something slow, but she hadn't left the dance floor yet. Her head was resting on a man's chest as an arm caressed her lower back.

 _How…when did I get so…sad again?_

Her fuzzy brain scrambled to piece together a coherent thought, to somehow remind her of where she was, but all she could understand was that there was warm skin with a cedar scent being pressed flush against her. And it felt good.

"Baby, don't ever let me go," she drunkenly moaned. When no one answered her, she lifted her head and saw that the man she was expecting wasn't there. "Oh…um, I'm sorry, I need to get some fresh air," she managed. To her surprise, Allen let her go.

She didn't really have a destination in mind; she simply staggered to the nearest forest entrance, shuffling until she found a tree to lean against in a clearing. She just needed to get away from all of those people for a while to collect herself. She couldn't cry, but she was grieving. Her head felt heavy in her hands. Thoughts of her husband swam through her head. She was remembering the feel of his hands when they held hers, when they cradled her face, when they traced the curves of her body…

 _When did I get here? Why am I thinking these things?_

She remembered the ghostly sensation of his kisses, from the sweet, pure ones to those full of longing…

 _I'm in a bad place right now. Why can't I stop?_

She began to hurt all over. Her skin stung from lack of contact. The wine washed over every logical thought with bittersweet nostalgia.

 _Okay, okay, I can stop. I'm just drunk. I am emotional, and I am drunk, and I need to stop._

"Mivi?" a strangely familiar, dark, smooth voice sounded.

 _Oh, fuck…not now…_

Allen approached her, stalking her steadily, ready to transfix her again with his sharp blue gaze.

 _Just don't…don't look at his eyes…_

"Mivi…" he breathed, just inches from her. He reached his hands out to her wrists, tracing upward along her arms.

 _Oh shit oh shit oh shit when did he get so close?_

His hands traced up her neck until they cradled the base of her jaw, tilting her face up to look at him. Her eyes finally followed…

…And her brain clicked off like a switch.

Suddenly, they were kissing— _furiously_ —an uninhibited mashing of lips and tongues and teeth, horribly uncoordinated in a drunken frenzy. Arms and a leg wrapped around each other, painfully digging into muscle and bone, and they were leaning dangerously off-center until they halfway fell, hard against a tree. Mivi didn't care as Allen pinned her against the tree with his hips, his hands ravenously raking against her bust as his mouth nipped and sucked at her neck and collar bones. Mivi moaned and rubbed herself against him desperately, wordlessly begging him to go further.

But eventually, after not even removing a single piece of clothing, Allen slowed and stopped rubbing and kissing. Mivi opened her large doe eyes in question and dismay.

"Not yet," he panted, "Not here."

Mivi's eyes darted around quickly until she remembered they were in the middle of the forest, not an ideal setting.

 _For what?_

Her brain came back to her.

 _What exactly were you planning to do out here?_

Feeling ashamed, she couldn't bring herself to look directly at Allen. He lifted her chin with a finger and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't worry, my dear. Tonight was just a taste. Someday soon, you can have the whole thing." He kissed her mouth deeply, which she could barely reciprocate. "Good night, love."

He slowly turned and walked off, leaving Mivi collapsed against the tree.

 _Oh my god…what have I gotten myself into?_

***End of Chapter 4***

 **Author's Notes:** Now. Shit. Gets. Real! That's right; this ain't a fluff story for pansies. It just grew a pair, and now there's drama all over the place! I want this story to feel real and raw and screwed up, just like the messy grief one would experience in real life. I hope y'all are enjoying the ride so far; I promise you'll be rewarded for hanging in there with me!

On another topic…Karly? Well, we don't know the Witch Princess's actual name, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna have all my characters call her that. My solution? Give her a new name. Some characters will call her WP, some will call her Karly.

So anyway, what's next? I have something in mind for the Music Festival, and you'll probably both love AND hate it…stay tuned!


	5. Ch05 - Hungover

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 5***

Mivi waited until she couldn't hear a single sound coming from the village anymore before she cautiously emerged from the woods. She had no choice but to go across the main hub of town in order to get home, so she had to be sure there wasn't a single soul out there she could possibly bump into. She wondered why Felicity hadn't come looking for her, but assuming she'd just imbibed too much, she thanked her lucky stars she was able to opt out of explaining anything for now. Had she really made out with Allen— _Allen_ —of all people? Hadn't she just been mocking him and talking about how much she disliked him?

To her great relief, she made it home undetected. She had no idea how many hours she'd been waiting in the forest, but she was beyond exhausted. Chucking her shoes in a corner and peeling her dress off, she stumbled over to her bed, ripped back the covers, and dove completely under as if to hide her shame from the world. She mentally bashed herself over and over for letting her guard down like she had and vowed never to drink wine again…then on second thought, maybe she'd just hold off for a while…

She squinted her eyes shut, trying to hurry her slumber, but then the sheets ghosted over her very bare skin and reminded her of how Allen's hands felt roving her. She couldn't deny that it felt good—and her body yearned for that kind of contact once again—but when she felt an ache amidst her loins and momentarily considered satisfying it, she mentally—and then physically—slapped herself. She told herself she didn't care how agonizing it felt not to "complete" the night's events; it was sick, and it was animalistic, and it was crude. So she tossed and turned violently, hoping she could wear herself out enough to just pass out.

Eventually, it worked, but she didn't know it until the little hammer on her alarm clock drilled its cacophony inside of her head what had to have been mere moments later. Her hand slapped frantically around, searching for that damned clock, until she successfully landed upon its snooze button. She lost count of how many times she repeated this process, waking with a start each time, but she didn't acknowledge just how bad she was until her eyelids slipped open and the sunlight melted her eyeballs.

"Fuuuuuck…" she groaned, realizing now that it was way later than she normally would've gotten up.

Using her arms, she dragged herself to the edge of the bed and rolled out, taking all of the covers with her and landing hard on the floor. She pushed up onto her hands and knees and then placed one foot forward to lift up, inch by inch, to a standing position. From there, it was a sad, half-dead shuffle toward the kitchen for some coffee and aspirin before she would be capable of doing anything productive. She began to admit that she just might need help that day.

The fingers that were not clutching her coffee mug dialed Dunhill's number, and as she loosely explained that she had a little too much to drink, Dunhill chuckled and happily agreed to come over. Mivi tossed her hair up into a sloppy bun, washed off her leftover makeup in the sink, and pulled on a fresh set of work clothes before she braved the molten sunlight to rest upon the fence near her road in wait. When she eventually saw not one, but two figures striding down the path, she almost couldn't hold back a panicked look from her face.

"Ya know, most people have Saturday's off," Neil growled once he and Dunhill caught up to her.

 _Great, Dunhill just had to invite the one person who'll make me feel guilty._

Mivi let out a lackluster, nervous laugh and countered, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I never have Saturday off…" She was surprised to see _him_ appear somewhat taken aback and then look at his feet guiltily.

"Yep, such is the life of a farmer!" Dunhill agreed. "Well, kiddos, let's get to it! I bet those animals are starvin'!"

She and Dunhill took the main barn—Dunhill was an old man, after all—and sent Neil to the eastern barn, where the animals that needed shearing resided. The two in the cow barn settled into a nice rhythm of milking as the cows munched happily on their breakfast.

"So Mivi, how are things?" Dunhill asked.

"Good," she lied, "except for this morning, of course."

Dunhill quietly laughed and said, "Whew, boy, I've had a few such days myself. Most wouldn't know it, but I was quite the partyin' young man!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Indeed! I was quite a rambunctious, young thing, always drinkin' late at night with my buddies, flirtin' with all the ladies, trespassin' on private property…until I met Abigail, that is."

"Oh…" Mivi acknowledged sadly at the mention of his late wife.

"Yep, she straightened me out real good, that girl, wouldn't put up with any of my nonsense! Nowadays, boys are expected to behave a bit better, but back then, it was like ropin' an angry bull to get a husband. 'Took quite a gal to make that happen."

"Hmm," Mivi mused. "So do you…still miss her sometimes?"

"Oh yes," Dunhill stated honestly. "She and I were as classic a love tale as ye can get. A brat and a beauty stuck together in a small town, where hate grew to love. She was stern but lovely, and when I saw how tough she was, I began to admire her. She had this…conflictin' way about her, where she could be light as a feather on her feet when she danced, but be a tough, grounded broad choppin' wood and brandin' cattle at her farm. I'd never seen anythin' like it, but when I realized who she was, I knew I had to have her hand. We married just five months after we met, when we were both fifteen."

"Wow, things sure have changed a lot since then, haven't they?" Mivi, at 27, couldn't imagine getting married so young, especially after not having known the person for at least a year. "How did you know it was going to work out?"

"Well…I didn't. But I just followed my heart, and it was the best decision I ever made."

"So after…she passed…did you ever think about finding love again?"

"Oh sure, I did, but it just never happened. And well, I'm awfully old now, not sure I really want to fuss with the whole dating thing again."

"I suppose I understand that. Nowadays, it's just so complicated…"

"Hm?" Dunhill's attention caught at that. "Are you already thinkin' about movin' on?" There was no judgment in his question, just surprise.

"Not now, but eventually…I'd like to think I could fall in love again, especially after Rod left me so soon. It's hard…being a widow."

"Oh, I know it. Ye can go it alone, but maybe if I hadn't already been so old when I lost my wife, I could've loved again. You're young, and I think it's only fair you should have that companionship again."

"But doesn't that somehow mean…I didn't love Rod enough?"

"Not at all! If anythin', it means you loved him so much that he left a gapin' hole in your heart that needs to be filled. Abby left a hole in my heart, too, but I chose not to worry about fillin' it, 'cause I can handle it. Maybe it's too much for you, and that's okay. Love is different for everybody."

Mivi considered what he was saying and tried to figure out how that fit into her current situation with Allen. She came up empty.

"So what if…you screw up? What if you're searching for love again, but you make the mistake of choosing the wrong person?"

"Heh, that one's easy! When you're on the Titanic and see the iceberg, abandon ship!"

Once they'd finished with the cows, they met up with Neil by the crop terraces. Mivi couldn't believe he had already finished caring for the sheep, llamas, and alpacas since there was more to do for them _and_ there were more of them than cattle. Neil noticed her looking at him in wonderment and gave her a look that was a mixture of a glare and confusion.

Dunhill, who was completely oblivious to the weird moment between them, began to excuse himself, "Well, Mivi, there was a reason I asked Neil to come along. Ye see, I'm quite old and can't work for very long in the sun anymore, and I wanted to make sure you got help with the crops, too. So this is where I depart. I knew Neil would take good care of you!"

Mivi's glance immediately shot over to him as she was about to beg him not to leave them alone, but she caught herself and released him, "Ah, I completely understand. Thank you so much for helping me with the cows."

"No problem! Ye've made those cows so gentle; workin' with 'em was easy! Well anyway, I'll be seein' ya."

"Goodbye, Dunhill, and thanks again!" Mivi waved at him as he walked away. She reluctantly turned to Neil. "So, um…in addition to watering, the crops need a little weeding. Fortunately, nothing's in need of harvesting yet, and the next fertilizing treatment can wait. You wanna start on the left side, and I'll take the right?"

Neil agreed, and they started at the lowest level and worked their way up. The sun was especially warm that day, however, so Mivi quickly felt overwhelmed by the combination of heat and dehydration. She was soon sweating and struggling to catch her breath, and she felt like she was going to faint.

Neil caught sight of her excessively flushed face and hollered, "Hey, you all right?"

Mivi sank to her knees and put one hand to her forehead, using the other for support. Neil shot up and trotted over, kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"Ugh, I don't feel so well," Mivi groaned.

Neil grabbed one of her hands, lifting it slightly and rotating it so the back of it faced him. He gently pressed and released one of her fingertips, observing the capillary refill time in her nail. "You're pretty dehydrated," he concluded. "Let's get you inside and get you some water."

Mivi nodded weakly and allowed Neil to help her up. Once standing, Neil let go of her, opting to walk closely beside her in case she needed help again. They split up inside the house; Neil went to grab water and met Mivi at her bed where she had settled. She thanked him and downed half the glass eagerly, panting in relief as she set it down on her nightstand.

"Well, um…you probably shouldn't go back out in this heat today…" Neil suggested.

"Yeah…I guess I'll just have to wait until evening to finish everything up."

"No, no…I'll take care of it."

"No, Neil, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that; we didn't even get halfway through the crops. Besides, I'll need to go back out to feed the animals dinner."

"Really, it's fine. You're not feeling well," Neil insisted.

"Neil, it's really nice of you to offer, but I'm the one who drank too much last night. It's my fault that I'm not feeling well. I can't have you putting yourself out like that…"

"Why not? I've been doing it anyway." When he caught her crestfallen expression, he corrected himself. "What I mean to say is that I don't mind. You need help, so I'm helping."

"But…"

"Besides, are you even okay lately?"

Mivi appeared befuddled. "What, you mean right now? Well I'm not great, but after I rest a little…"

"No, you idiot; you know what I mean." Neil's eyes bored into her.

"Uh…well…yeah, for the most part…" Mivi looked insulted.

"There's no point in lying to me."

"Well, just…why do you ask?"

Neil sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "You were never the type to drink like this. You've drank, sure, but I don't think I've ever seen you get sick from it. And considering what's happened recently, it just feels like something's not right with you."

Mivi blushed, a little from rage and a lot from embarrassment. She wondered if he somehow knew what happened between her and Allen, but she highly doubted it.

"And what's it to you how much I drink?" she asked indignantly.

"For starters, you were a wreck for a couple of months, and now this happens…"

"It was one time! Sometimes people drink too much! And I don't need to justify myself to you!"

"I just care about you, you dumbass!" Neil blushed but continued, "Not only did you make yourself sick, but now you're determined to punish yourself instead of accepting my help. Are you some kind of masochist?"

"That's not it; I just believe I should own up to my own mistakes and not rely on other people cleaning up after me all the time like you've been doing. I'm a grown woman, Neil; I can take care of myself!"

"God!" Neil slammed his fist on the bed, then attempted to steady himself. "Look, I'm not…trying…to fight with you…" He looked away from her. "I just wanna help you."

"That's great, but why can't you take 'no' for an answer?"

"Because I know you." His eyes raised to meet hers. "I know you're too stubborn to accept help when you need it, because you don't want to burden anyone. Go ahead; try to deny it."

"But Neil, this is a burden…"

"No, I've already told you it's not. Look, I win this time; I'm going to take care of your crops. And because you made such a big deal of it, I'm going to feed your animals again, too. You can try to keep up with me, but I know you can't right now. So just stay in bed, and make this easy on yourself, okay?"

Mivi fumbled around for words to say but couldn't manage more than a perturbed pout. Neil couldn't help himself; he smiled at her. Her heart was racing, and the redness in her face had never exactly gone away.

"Fine," she finally conceded.

"Thank you," Neil said, relieved. "I'll come back to check on you when I'm done with everything."

"Okay…thank you for doing this."

"You're welcome."

He left Mivi wracked with confusion and guilt. He had fought her so much just to help her, and despite his typical, rude phrasing, she could tell he cared about her…quite a bit…but why? They were friends, but something changed between them after Rod died. Was this just a thing that happened? Did deaths change relationships with the living? It must, considering the level of intimacy she jumped on with Allen, but why wasn't she seeing these changes—really seeing them—until something crazy happened? Suddenly Neil could see straight through her and she was tangling tongues with Allen…what happened to the boundaries that used to be around her, protecting her? She felt helpless and more guilty than she ever had. She certainly didn't deserve Neil's kindness, but did she deserve Allen's predatorial advances? She couldn't make heads or tails of this whole mess, but she knew she was going to have to face these changes soon. Caving in to a sense of dread, she wrapped her blankets around her and gazed at the picture of Rod and her on her nightstand, longing for things to return to the simplicity they once had.

***End of Chapter 5***

 **Author's Notes:** So the Music Festival didn't get to happen yet; this chapter quickly took on a mind of its own, and I churned out way more than I anticipated. Although I couldn't get to the part I thought would be next, I'm still happy with the transitional material that came out. Now we can see Mivi developing feelings for Neil in a way that neither of them can see yet, plus she's received Dunhill's blessing in a way. I hope y'all are still enjoying the story; the next chapter will for sure be about the Music Festival where much drama will ensue…


	6. Ch06 - To Evade the Inevitable

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 6***

Work. Eat. Work. Sleep. Work. Eat. Work. Sleep. Work. Eat. Work. Sleep.

Such became the steady rhythm of Mivi's life as she slaved away to pass the time. The more she stayed on her farm, the less she had to deal with people, and the less chance she had of running into Allen. The only risks she took were to occasionally ship her goods and pick up an order of fertilizer from Hana. There was also Felicity's birthday party, but she knew there was no way she'd see Allen there. She did pick up on Felicity acting strangely—there was a hollowness to her cheery exterior—and wondered if she knew what happened somehow. Seeing as she herself still wasn't ready to fess up, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

But all good things must eventually come to an end, and so they did for Mivi at the one place she had been sure Allen would never make it. She couldn't believe how one man's voice could shatter the picture-perfect scenery of a mountaintop view.

"Hello, Mivi."

"Allen?! What are you doing up here?!" she screeched.

He chuckled darkly and responded, "Just going for my usual jog." Mivi then noticed he was dressed in athletic attire, including a dark blue shirt that clung tightly to his muscular frame. "I knew I'd run into you eventually."

"Uh…y-yeah…"

"What's the matter, my little mouse, can't get that night out of your head?" Mivi turned beet-red and looked away, but Allen was already closing in and lifting her chin with a finger. "I can't either, honestly." He softly kissed her dangerously close to her lips.

Mivi brushed his hand downward and took a step back. "Allen, please…we were drunk."

"Oh? Well it seems that sober-you still has a thing for me."

"No, it isn't like that…" Mivi tried to argue, but even she knew how unconvincing she sounded.

 _How does he have this power over me?_

"Well your lovely blushing face says otherwise. Plus, there's the fact that you've been intentionally avoiding me…" Allen leered at her.

"No, I've just been busy," she lied.

" _Sure_ …either way, I think we should talk about this."

"Huh?" Mivi wasn't expecting a suggestion like that from him.

"Yes…clearly we need to talk, and that's perfectly fine. I can tell you don't want anyone else knowing about our little rendezvous, so I've come up with a discrete way we can chat. The Music Festival is in two days, and I know you always go. So I say we talk under the guise of you coming in to get your hair styled!"

"What? No way! Besides, why would anyone get their hair done for something like that?"

"It's a formal event; everyone will be looking their best. Believe me, it makes _perfect sense_ to get an updo for a concerto."

"But, but…what about people? The salon's usually full of them!"

"Mivi…I wouldn't book anyone else during _your_ 'session'."

"But…but…n-no, I can't."

"Listen, dear. You can either confront this now and have peace of mind, or continue to be miserable. So let's be adults about this, shall we?" Those god-damned, crystal-blue eyes bewitched her yet again.

"…F-fine…"

"That's my girl," he grinned. "I'll see you at my salon at five, the day of. You'll be my last appointment, so come dressed and made up."

"Alright."

"Very good. See you later."

As he jogged off, Mivi ripped her glance away from him and back to the vast, scenic view, desperately scoping it for the peace she'd had moments before, but her mind was a whirlwind all over again and she, a helpless victim in the storm of Allen's presence. She felt a tingle on the spot where he'd kissed her, a sure sign of his boldness that seemingly could overstep any boundary, and demanded of herself to know why she would ever agree to one-on-one time with him. She debated whether the peace of mind was worth the trouble she was sure she was getting herself into, but she decided that, out of politeness, she would keep her appointment.

Allen greeted her at the door and locked it behind her. When he drew the door curtains shut, Mivi noticed how dark it was…and how every curtain on every window was also shut.

"Um…isn't it a little dim in here for styling hair?" Mivi asked nervously.

"Don't you worry about that; I'm an expert at this, you know," Allen assured her. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to a chair where the countertop was plentifully bestrewn with red rose petals and the faucet was gently gurgling into a perfumed bubble bath in the sink. Mivi's surprised expression earned a smug smirk from Allen.

"Allen, isn't this a bit much?"

"Ah-ah-ah, no talking yet. There's going to be a lot of noise with the washing and drying, so for now, you just relax."

Biting her tongue, she settled into the chair and let Allen get to work. As his fingers cascaded through her long, blue hair and massaged her scalp and neck, her stress melted away, and she sighed contentedly. Hints of rose hips and lavender lulled her into bliss, and when he was drying her hair, the warmth of the dryer and the romantically dim lighting tugged her further away from her uptight self until she was practically pudding in his hands. Some small trace of herself—her real self—tried to nag her into seeing what was really going on, but its voice quickly drowned within the muted whoosh of soothing brush strokes.

"I want to make this easy for you," Allen spoke up at last, "I am very attracted to you, and I've seen the way you look at me…when you want me." His fingers skirted about her neck as he began to lift her hair. Mivi was too distracted and embarrassed to protest. "It's clear that we want each other, whether you want to want me or not. It's a totally innocent, harmless thing, but I can see you're not used to relationships going this way. But the thing is, there's more to romance than 'single' and 'taken'…"

"So what-what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is," he leaned down to whisper seductively in her ear, "we can make love with no strings attached."

"Allen!" Mivi gasped. "How can you speak so boldly?"

"You're adorable, you know that?" He lightly squeezed her shoulders, tantalizingly stretching his fingers down toward her bosom. "But your body wants what it wants; you shouldn't fight it, nor should you make yourself feel guilty about it." He returned to styling her hair.

"Allen, it's not that simple…and I _don't_ want you, okay? Please stop making me feel uncomfortable."

He clicked his tongue a few times and shook his head. "Ah, Mivi…I do enjoy this game you've been playing with me, but I hope my patience isn't for nothing."

"What game? I'm not playing games with you!"

"Oh no? If I remember correctly, _you_ kissed me first that night."

"Wh-what?" Mivi frantically pored through her memories of that night but couldn't remember specifically how they started kissing.

"Relax, it's okay," Allen purred, "You just aren't ready yet."

" _Allen_ ," she whined.

"Shhh…you're almost done…"

"Look, I was drunk and emotional that night, okay? It was a mistake!"

"I think not, my love. If it weren't for that night, you wouldn't be here, looking like this…"

He rotated the chair so Mivi could see herself in the mirror. Though it was pathetically easy to distract her, she couldn't help but marvel at the perky curls nestled atop her head. Little golden-crested, white jewels lined her scalp diagonally, finishing their V-formation at a soft, realistic, white lily clip. Her hair glistened, drawing her attention to the subtle, gold glitter sheen radiating throughout it. Paired with her flowy, white, chiffon dress adorned in gold accents, she looked like a goddess.

"Oh, wow…" she breathed out in exhilaration, "it's beautiful…"

"Here," he offered a hand to help her out of the chair. "Stand up so you can see it better with your dress."

Unable to peel her eyes away from the mirror, she stared dead ahead as she stood and reached her free hand up to delicately feel her curls.

"Thank you," she elaborated, attempting to pull her hand free of Allen's. When he held on tighter, she reeled from her special moment back into reality. "Um, well I guess I should be going now. H-how much do I owe you?"

Allen tugged her hand, suddenly pulling her into him. He wrapped his other arm around her waist to keep her from backing away. "Just one dance tonight." Mivi tried to push against him to get away, but her strength was no match for his. He smiled wickedly and let go of the hand he held to cradle her jaw and pull her face toward his. He passionately kissed her until her hands went limp against his chest and stopped fighting him. Mivi found herself kissing him back. Her want began to creep back into her body, and she started to sink against him when he abruptly cut off the kiss.

"Not just yet," he said softly, "We wouldn't want to mess up that lovely hairdo of yours."

Mivi blushed at the implication and backed away, unable to look at him. "I've gotta go now," she said dryly before hurrying out the door and toward the festival grounds.

Normally Mivi loved the classy ambience of the Music Festival with its white, covered tables, fancy hors d'oeuvres, and local classical instrumentalists, but this time, she was distracted by her rapidly beating heart and rushing thoughts. It didn't help matters when Allen showed up a half hour after she did, obviously to cover for the both of them. Although he gave her space, he might as well have been perched on her shoulder, screaming their indiscretions in her ear. She tried to give Felicity the usual, annual assurance that her music was going to sound lovely, but even Felicity seemed quite distracted. Mivi's heart began to hurt for their friendship, because she knew it was her fault that this unspoken change existed between them. She felt so alone, and all she had was the devil and his charming ways, waiting quite possibly for the very last dance so she couldn't run away again.

 _To hell with it!_

She broke her resolution on the wine. Glass after glass until she could properly mask herself, she began effectively chatting up the oblivious townsfolk so that, for all they knew, she was the life of the party, just doing fine and dandy, thank you very much. She half-expected that the shallow talk of safe, boring life on the farm would make her happy or at least remind her she had something to be grateful for, but when she couldn't talk to Neil—who wasn't there—or Felicity—who was musically occupied—she got more and more frustrated and longed for the night to end.

 _Just one more song, and then I'm giving up and going home._

Suddenly, Felicity's violin sang out a long, single note, and a few other violas accompanied her as a beautiful, heart-wrenching melody began to play. A hand grabbed hers, and she disbelievingly looked up at Allen, who was cashing in on his one dance.

They made it to the dance floor just as other deeper stringed instruments maneuvered the song into something more menacing, and the somber conjunction yanked Mivi's heart into a familiar, terrifying feeling. The two mismatched souls glided along the floor until Mivi was whirled around and pulled tightly into Allen's embrace. They stepped in unison, devouring each other's needing gazes as they would step apart, rotate, and repeat their jilted waltz.

When it ended, their eyes clearly conveyed a desire that could no longer be held back.

"I'll see you back at your place?" Allen asked quietly. Mivi nodded. "Alright. You go first. I'll be there soon."

Mivi agreed and darted off without saying goodbye to anyone. When she got inside her house, it was too quiet. She was starting to be able to hear her mind questioning what she was doing. So she shuffled about, cleaning things up that didn't need to be cleaned. She made so much of a clatter that she barely heard the knock on the door, but when she did, she stopped dead for a moment. She couldn't believe this was about to happen.

Yet again, her manners kicked in, and she ran to the door to answer it. She and Allen greeted each other awkwardly, and she invited him in. For once, he seemed to have some trepidation as he entered the house slowly, not entirely sure how to proceed.

Mivi couldn't stand the awkwardness. "How about some tea?" she interjected, sprouting up and striding over to the cabinets to rummage through them. "Let's see…I've got mint, and then there's green tea…oh, and this ginger is pretty good…"

"Mivi."

"What?"

She jumped as Allen's arms reached around her to grab her wrists.

"Forget the tea."

He spun her around, and they were lip-locked, staggering with purpose toward the bed. She relished his hands sliding over her waist and backside until they slid up to her shoulders to tug off her dress. He then greedily went for her bra while she attempted to undo the buttons on his shirt, but she had to pause her work for the bra to come off. Then he was kissing and touching every exposed inch of skin, quickly working his way downward and yanking her underwear off. Completely stripped, she was pressed onto the bed beneath his body. One of his hands was digging into her shoulder, and the other deftly flipped down the picture on her nightstand before retracting to his pants to undo them.

Once they had exerted themselves, Allen rolled off of her and laid on his back to recover. Mivi snuggled up against him, but he made no move to embrace her. Instead, he waited a few minutes for his breathing to slow, and then he sat up and made his way to the bathroom to clean up. Mivi lay there in silence, taking in the full gravity of the situation, and all at once, she felt very naked and drew the sheets up to cover herself.

Allen reemerged buttoning up his shirt. "Alright, I'm gonna head out now."

"You're leaving already?" Mivi asked, somewhat hurt.

"Well yeah, wouldn't want the neighbors to notice."

"Oh…right."

"Hey, where are my shoes?" Mivi pointed to them. "Thanks." Allen grabbed them and made his way over to the foot of the bed to put them on. He stood and turned to Mivi. "That was amazing, by the way. I look forward to next time."

"Yeah," Mivi dejectedly replied, but he had already turned and was heading out the door.

Mivi lifted herself from the bed and locked up behind him. When the bolt latched into place, the floodgates opened, and the tears began to flow as it dawned on her that she had just been used.

***End of Chapter 6***

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter wasn't that long, but it took me forever to write. As it turns out, crafting a proper buildup to sex is tough! Hopefully I was able to keep it fairly believable. If you're disappointed at the lack of certain…details…all I can say is that I didn't wanna get into hardcore lemon territory. Feel free to fantasize, though!

So what is Felicity's deal? I actually do have something in mind with that, but I'm not sure if I'm going to reveal it in this story. If I don't do that, do I really want the pressure of writing another potentially long story? I dunno, I'll hafta think about it. All I'll say is that she's not mad at Mivi; she just has her own problems at the moment.

A quick thank you to **Pinkflame818** for being the first reviewer and follower of this story! I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far!


	7. Ch07 - Healing Tales

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 7***

For once, waking up before sunrise was a blessing. Because of it, Mivi was able to complete her morning chores, pack a lunch, and hike to the undisturbed sanctum of the high eastern forest without encountering a single soul. She needed a good, long time alone to brood. As she neared the bridge leading to the mountain's base, Jet stiffened, barked, and took off into the brush.

"Jet!" she cried, hastening after him.

 _That damned dog! Must've seen a squirrel or something. I knew I should've put him on a leash…_

Somewhat relieved that at least he was going the same direction she originally planned to go, she pushed her way through the thicket and toward the waterfall. What she saw at the edge of the clearing made her heart sink.

Neil was seated near the cliff's edge, ruffling Jet's fur as the obsidian canine attempted to lick his face.

"Easy, boy! Trust me, you don't wanna kiss this mug," Neil joked as he pushed Jet out of his tongue range.

"Oh, hey!" Mivi feigned enthusiasm. She had really hoped to be alone up there.

"Hey," Neil returned, looking surprised. "You taking your dog for a walk?"

"Well, um…yeah," she tried to lie as she invented a new plan in her brain.

Neil eyed her expression for a moment before he figured it out. "You…meant to come up here, didn't you?"

Mivi glanced at him disconcertedly. "Well…yeah, maybe, but it's okay. We can find another spot. Come on, Jet!" Jet merely stared at her.

"No…it's fine. You can sit up here with me."

"Thank you, but…I really don't want to talk to anyone today, no offense…"

"That's great, actually. I don't like to talk when I'm up here, either."

"Oh…" Mivi pondered that for a moment. "Um, okay then…" She moved into the clearing and set her pack, blanket, and pillow down. Then she pulled out her book and her snack bag of strawberries before settling on her back. Neil was watching her with fascination.

"You, uh…sure bring a lot of stuff with you for something like this…"

Mivi smiled. "I plan to be here awhile. Would you like a strawberry?"

"No, thanks…"

Mivi cracked open the visibly worn animal anthology and began reading from the beginning. Jet curled up and settled at her side, and Neil read the book title curiously before looking back toward the waterfall like he'd previously been doing. Mivi didn't notice, for by that point, she was already lost in one of the fantasy worlds where animals could talk.

Ultimately, the awkwardness of the silence was too much for Neil to handle, so before Mivi had finished a fourth story, he found himself asking her what she was reading.

"This old thing? It's just a collection of abbreviated animal stories by various authors."

"Huh…" Neil sat for about three sentences. "So which story are you on?"

"'The Snow Goose'," Mivi replied, still not looking up from the text. Neil fidgeted, sensing he was agitating her. When he looked up again, he was surprised to see her smiling. "It's one of my favorites."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhm," she affirmed, lowering her book and turning to look at him. "It's about a young girl who finds an injured snow goose, and she has to take it to this man that everyone's afraid of in order to heal it."

"Huh…" Neil said again.

Mivi tried to read his expression, but when he continued to stare at her like he was waiting for her to say something else, she prompted, "Would you like me to read it to you?"

"Oh, uh…nah, you don't hafta do that; I was just curious…" He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"It's no trouble," Mivi laughed lightly, recognizing the childlike desire that was there. "And it's quite short, this excerpt of it."

"Well, maybe…if it's not too much to ask…"

Mivi recounted the tale as it was beautifully written, cherishing the innocence with which it started, but finding herself more morose as it developed into the more complicated relationship between the disfigured man and the lovely woman, where love was unspoken between them and they each settled for broken hearts. She hadn't fully thought this through before offering to read it aloud. She also hadn't counted on her suppressed emotions creeping up on her over a mere eight pages. As she read that Frith walked away, never to return, she reached her breaking point.

"Wow…that's so sad."

"Damn right it is," Mivi replied, her breath hitching as she started to cry.

"Woah, hey Mivi, chill out; it's just a story," Neil told her, startled at her sudden change in temperament.

Mivi shook her head. "It's not that…it's so much more than that…"

He rose and moved closer to her to sit next to her. "Well good, 'cause otherwise I woulda told you you're crazy." He settled Indian-style on her blanket. "What's bothering you?"

"Oh, Neil…I shouldn't be troubling you with this."

"Too late. Now spill."

"The thing is that I can't even talk about it…what I've done is so awful…" Mivi sobbed. "I really screwed up, Neil."

He considered that for a moment. "Okay…so you've screwed up, and you don't wanna talk about it?"

"Yes."

"Well guess what? People screw up sometimes. It's life."

"It's not that simple. I did something really _really_ bad."

"Like what? Did you kill somebody?"

"What? No!"

"Did you hurt somebody?"

"No—well not somebody else, but I hurt myself."

Neil appeared noticeably worried then. "…How exactly did you hurt yourself?"

Mivi caught what he was implying. "Not like that! I didn't cut myself or anything; I _emotionally_ hurt myself."

"Okay." Neil was relieved. "Still…I'm not getting what you could've done that was so bad."

"Well I said I couldn't tell you! Basically, I hurt myself— _emotionally_ —and other people are involved."

"Okay…it still doesn't sound all that bad to me."

"Look, it's complicated, alright?" Mivi was growing frustrated with him. "Just drop it."

"Fine," he agreed. Mivi continued to cry silently, gazing into the waterfall as if she could drown her problems and feelings within it. After a time, Neil tried again, "I'm…sorry…if I pushed you too far just now. I honestly wasn't trying to pry. Clearly, you feel guilty about something, but I just can't imagine that you of all people could do anything that terrible. You're one of the most genuine people I know."

"Genuine, huh?" she halfheartedly laughed, "It seems everything I've done lately has been anything but me being true to myself. Or maybe it is, and I've just become a bad person."

"Nah, I doubt that," Neil contended, "I think you're just a human making mistakes, because you're going through a hard time."

"Again, Neil, I say it's not that simple."

"And maybe you're just overcomplicating things. Give yourself a break once in a while."

" _You_ give me a break!"

"I _am_ giving you a break! God dammit…here, just fucking gimme that!" Neil snarled as he snatched up her book.

"Wha—hey!" Mivi yelled, reaching for it. Neil slapped her hands away.

"Let's see…here, this one sounds silly. Or at least it can't be as fucking depressing as you are!" Neil pointed to one of the story titles listed in the table of contents.

"What? I don't understand what you want…"

"Is this a happy story?"

"Yes, but—"

"Read it." Neil slid the book back into her hands. "Maybe it'll cheer you up."

Mivi glowered at him for a time before speaking again. "You act in such a bizarre way sometimes, you know that?"

"So do you. You're probably as stubborn as the mule in that story."

"Jerk," she retorted, but only with a tiny amount of venom behind the insult.

Neil rolled his eyes and urged her to start reading. Eventually, she did so, and the two sat side by side, each one unbothered by the other's closeness. Though but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of life, it was almost perfect.

Almost.

***End of Chapter 7***

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter is oddly serene considering what just happened, but I figure our heroine deserves a break…for now. To anyone who has started to care about Mivi, I apologize in advance for what's to come. Sorry, but her troubles aren't quite over yet.

In case anyone was wondering, "The Snow Goose" is a real story by Paul Gallico, and I do actually own an animal story anthology that features an excerpt of it. The story is pretty sad, but I highly recommend it! I hope I can read the full thing someday to get its full effect. As for the unnamed story Neil refers to later in this chapter, the one that sounds silly, I imagined he would've picked "Son-Son Fetches the Mule" by James Berry. That one's just a good old classic tale about a young boy trying to get a stubborn mule to work, and no matter how much trouble the mule causes him, the boy perseveres and gets him to comply in the end.

I am excited to say that this story now has multiple faves and followers; thank you all so much! I sincerely hope y'all continue to enjoy the content that comes out. Feel free to keep reviewing, as I will happily respond to questions and comments in the coming chapters.

 **Dragon Rage:** Don't worry; Mivi will NOT end up with Allen. I hate that douchenozzle so much, even as his tamer self in the game, so I will never give him the satisfaction of a happily-ever-after.

 **Schizotinkatana:** Thank you! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. The time in between these chapters has gotten a little longer as I've gotten busier, but I am determined to finish this story.


	8. Ch08 - Ambush

**Author's Notes:** This story will treat each year as a standard 12-month year in lieu of the 4-month HM year. Since HM seasons are evenly divided, this story's seasons will span 3 months each. Characters will be kept true to their natures as depicted by the game.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any part of Natsume or the Harvest Moon series. This story and any images/characters associated with it are not for commercial use.

***Chapter 8***

Was there always work? Yes, Mivi was pretty sure there was always work. It was the one thing that had remained constant since Rod's death, and it seemed to be the only true respite from the drama that ensued. For one thing, there was the declining friendship between her and Felicity, and for another, a conversation with Neil was never _just_ a conversation—it seemed there had to be a fight involved one way or another. And then, of course, there was all that shit with Allen.

Mivi had just about had enough of all this nonsense and knew she needed to get rid of the biggest weight on her shoulders. What better time to do it than the turn of the season? She'd already be literally chucking out the old rubbish to make way for the new seedlings of the future, so it seemed perfect to do the same with her heart.

 _No more playing Little-Miss-Doormat for Allen._

Today really was the best day. A few days had passed since their last, ehem— _encounter_ —so it was only a matter of time before he would seek her out again. Better that _she_ get the jump on _him_ this time—no, not like _that_ —so that he couldn't find her vulnerable. Plus, she'd be too exhausted from replanting to be nervous, but too proud of her clean slate to be run over. She flipped back up the wedding portrait on her nightstand in resolution and labored away somewhat happily until nightfall.

Waiting until she was sure most people would go to bed—she wanted this discussion to be private, after all—she showered, braided her hair for bed, and dressed in comfortable, modest loungewear. She was sure her appearance could offer no distraction. Then, after firmly ending things, she could retreat to her own bed and he to his, where they could have a good night's sleep and immediately move on with their lives the following day.

She still felt a little nervous by the time she arrived at the salon door, but she took a deep breath and brought herself to ring the bell that connected to the residential part of the building. A few moments later, she heard footsteps descending the stairs followed by the click of a lock and the creak of the opening door.

Allen smiled at seeing Mivi there. "Well, what a pleasant surprise! Come in."

Mivi stepped inside and waited until the door was closed. "Allen, we need to talk," she said bravely.

By his expression, she judged that he didn't quite get it yet. "Of course! Please, follow me upstairs."

Mivi did so, preparing herself to quickly scope out where the dining table would be so they could sit there with distance between them, as would be appropriate for such a conversation. When Allen opened the door to his living quarters, she spotted it quickly and made a beeline for it, but only a matter of seconds after the door clicked closed, an arm wrapped around her waist and somehow pulled her out of line and whirled her around to face a ravenous Allen. Not even giving her a chance to respond to the shock, her mouth was being smothered with his, and her body was being pressed so tightly against his that she couldn't back away. She desperately tried to push him off of her, but when her futile strength failed, she could only manage to moan miserably into his mouth.

Allen laughed wickedly into her and began moaning lustfully, still not having broken his first oral assault. As he moved them over to his bed with little trouble, as if Mivi wasn't bracing her legs against the movement at all, he slid a hand under her shirt and unclasped her bra, then immediately trailed under the fabric and squeezed one of her breasts. Mivi was positively screaming beneath his mouth, unable to fight him off in the slightest. When Allen finally gave her mouth a break, she gasped for air.

"Allen, stop!" she yelled.

That only seemed to encourage him, as he responded, "Oh god, yes, that's it. Fight me! God, that's so hot…" Meanwhile, he had lifted her by her ass and tossed her onto the bed. He pounced on her, and she felt a telltale hardness burrow into her hips.

"Allen, I'm serious! Stop! _Pleeease_ stop!"

As her hands kept pushing against him and her legs even tried, he ripped up her shirt to expose her chest and, with one hand, secured both of hers above her head. She began crying as he hungrily licked and sucked at her breasts, all the while grinding himself against her crotch.

"Get off of me!" she sobbed.

"God, you're good at this," he said, reaching his free hand down inside her underwear to massage her.

"Allen, get the _fuck_ off!" Mivi was screeching at this point. Allen gave her a ravishing look before latching his mouth onto hers again, plunging his tongue deep within.

Mivi saw her chance and took it, viciously biting down on his tongue with all her might.

"Ah!" Allen cried out, retracting his face from hers. Blood trickled out from his lips. He covered his mouth with the hand that wasn't holding her down. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

At his position change, Mivi took another chance she had, sharply kneeing him in the crotch. It wasn't much, but it made Allen wince, and he released her hands so he could grab the newly injured area.

"What the fuck?! Are you crazy?!" he shouted.

Mivi drew her legs out from under him and barreled off the bed and toward the door to get distance. She tripped over the short step and stumbled into the table, grasping it to brace herself against falling. Eyes flashing dangerously, she pinned him with her furious stare.

"I wasn't here for _that_ , you fucking asshole!" she raged. "I came here to tell you to leave me the fuck alone and not to ever fucking touch me again!"

"So you try to bite my tongue off?!"

"Oh, fuck you! You never even let me talk before you started—you fucking monster!"

"You're the psycho bitch! You asked for it, and you know it!"

Mivi visibly caved in disbelief. "Oh…my _god_ …nobody ever asks for this!"

"Whatever, get the fuck outta my house, you stupid bitch!"

"You're an animal," she ground out as she turned to leave. She gnashed her teeth together to keep from crying any more in front of him and attempted to smooth her bra and shirt back into place before stepping out into the night.

 _I just narrowly avoided…being…_

Her mind clapped itself shut before she conjured the last word, and she ran home, sobbing wretchedly the whole way.

***End of Chapter 8***

 **Author's Notes:** A very short but brutal chapter. Again, I'm sorry for how much I'm putting Mivi through. But rest assured, this is the absolute worst of it all, and now Neil gets to save the day! Or at least, he'll put a smile on our faces while trying. I was originally going to include that as a part of this chapter, but I think leaving it on such a dark note, especially after it started out so lightheartedly, preserves an appropriate sentiment for the subject matter.

My thanks to those of you who have been following, and especially to those of you who continue to follow after this!


End file.
